Here are six tips for How to Pick a Good Watermelon that’s ripe and sweet, gathered from lots of conversations with produce people, farmers, and personal experience. If you know how to check for things like the field spot, it makes the selection process much easier!

Bin Full of Varying Watermelons to Show How to Pick a Good Watermelon

Picking out a watermelon at the grocery store was always a semi-anxiety plagued experience for me when I didn’t know what I was looking for. If you pick a bad one, you’re stuck with 15-20 whopping pounds of watermelon terribleness. And then your options are to either force yourself to eat this yucky watermelon or throw it away…and both are less than desirable options. There have been a few times where I ended up throwing it out because it tasted like a crunchy watermelon rind cucumber, and no one in my family would eat it.

My goal today is to help you pick a sweet, ripe watermelon because I know how disappointing it is to get home, take your first bite of some sort of produce you buy, only to find out it isn’t good. All the tips here are tidbits I have gathered from personal experience and lots of conversations with produce people and farmers.

Tip #1: Find the Field Spot

If you don’t even read the other tips, I find this is the biggest indicator of a good watermelon.

The field spot is a creamy spot on the outside, and it’s where the watermelon was resting on the ground. The field spot should be a yellowish creamy color, like shown with my watermelon:

A Watermelon With a Yellow Field Spot on Countertop

The more dark yellow the field spot is, the longer it was on the vine sweetening up. If the field spot is white (or not even there), this indicates an underripe melon.

What’s interesting is you’ll notice that the other side of the same watermelon looks completely different:

Watermelon Without a Field Spot on Countertop Gives Indication for How to Tell if a Watermelon is Ripe

It’s much prettier and more typical of what I picture when I think of a watermelon, and that’s okay. I find that the best watermelons I buy can sometimes look really gnarly on one side where it was resting on the ground, and then unblemished on the other. But you don’t want it to look perfectly green all the way around.

Tip #2: Pick a Dull Looking Exterior

A shiny exterior appearance indicates an underripe watermelon, though this can be a bit tricky if they’ve added wax, and then you can’t really tell. This applies to honeydew melons too. Don’t be put off by a dull looking watermelon.

Tip #3: Knock on It with Your Knuckles

Your knuckles should bounce off the melon, and the surface should be pretty hard and firm. You will get a dull thud if the flesh is soft, which indicates it’s starting to spoil. If you don’t want to knock with your knuckles, then you can push firmly with the tip of your thumb. Ideally there should be little or no give when you push in.

Tip #4: Get the Heaviest One for Its Size

A Bin of Seedless Watermelons at Grocery Store with Varying Ripeness

This applies to pretty much all produce, but you want to pick the watermelon that is the heaviest one for its size. That means there’s more water in it.

The watermelon pictured above here in my post was a whopping 18 pounds!  It was heavier than the other comparably sized melons around it. It’s more bang for your buck too.

Tip #5: Check for a Uniform Shape

Some watermelons are round, some are oval, and either is fine. They are just different varieties. But if there are irregular bumps, this indicates the melon may have gotten inconsistent amounts of sun or water, and you should avoid that one.

Tip #6: Look for the Sugar Spots and Pollination Points

Scarring and Pollination Points on Watermelon

This tip was emailed to me many months ago by Tom, a produce manager for a major grocery chain. If you see black spots on the melon (as pictured above), this is where sugar is seeping out and indicates a sweet melon. Also, if you see dots in a line (not a scratch), these are pollination points, and the more of them the better. I’ve been looking for these every time I pick up a melon and have had great luck with it in addition to the other tips. Thank you, Tom!

Once you’ve picked out a good watermelon, take a look at my quick guide for How to Cut a Watermelon, which is how I always cut watermelon to keep in the fridge, but is an especially great to way to serve watermelon for parties and entertaining.

Ripe Watermelon cut into Sticks on cutting Board

It is SO much easier than cutting the typical triangles that include the rind, and you can either cut it into sticks or cubes:

Ripe Watermelon cut into Cubes in Bowl

Click the photo above for my guide on cutting watermelon. Enjoy!

More Tips and FAQ

How do you store watermelon?

If it’s cut, the watermelon must be stored in the fridge and can be kept for up to 5 days. An uncut watermelon can be kept at room temperature for a few days, but I find it’s best to get it into the fridge as quickly as possible, especially since watermelons do not ripen further on the counter.

Can you freeze watermelon?

Yes, but it’s not something you’ll want to eat again in a thawed state. I freeze watermelon to blend into a Watermelon Slushie or as ice cubes for Summer Drinks.

Did you enjoy the recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page.

Cutting the End off a Fresh Watermelon

How to Pick a Good Watermelon

Servings: 8
Prep Time: 2 mins
Total Time: 2 mins
Here are six tips for How to Pick a Good Watermelon that's ripe and sweet.
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Ingredients

  • 1 large watermelon

Instructions 

  • Find the Field Spot – Look for a deep yellow color. If there’s a white field spot, or no field spot at all, it likely won’t be good.
  • Pick a Dull Looking Watermelon – A shiny appearance indicates an underripe melon. 
  • Knock on It with Your Knuckles – Your knuckles should bounce off the melon, and the surface should be pretty hard/firm. Soft flesh indicates it’s starting to spoil.
  • Get the Heaviest One for Its Size – This applies to pretty much all produce, but you want to pick the watermelon that is the heaviest one for its size. That means there’s more water in it.
  • Check for a Uniform Shape – Some watermelons are round, some are oval, and either is fine. But if there are irregular bumps, this indicates the melon may have gotten inconsistent amounts of sun or water.
  • Look for the Sugar Spots and Pollination Points – If you see black spots on the melon, this is where sugar is seeping out and indicates a sweet melon. Also, if you see dots in a line (not a scratch), these are pollination points, and the more of them the better.
  • If you want an easy way to cut the watermelon into sticks or cubes, see my How to Cut a Watermelon post. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 106kcal, Carbohydrates: 27g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 1g, Sodium: 4mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 22g

Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.

Course: Snack
Cuisine: American
Author: Joanne Ozug

Post updated with new photos and more tips in June 2018. Originally published April 2011.